At a time when enforced political correctness and hypersensitivity to even the most mundane facts of life hang over our heads like Swords of Damocles, it is triumph of public education, creativity, and common sense that Spartanburg School District 7 has once again produced a high school play that was both entertaining and teaching our young people there is more to life than song and dance. I commend the movers and shakers of District 7 on allowing Spartanburg School High to have presented All Shook Up this past weekend at Chapman Cultural Center. My only complaint is that the house was not full for every performance.It was a great production, showcasing the artistic of talents of students from kindergarten to high school in a musical play that not only touched on, but at times hammered home the issues of interracial dating, civil disobedience, premarital sex, cross-dressing, and even homosexuality — all issues that students must deal with a daily basis.Who would have ever thought a play that glorifies the music of the hip-shaking Elvis Presley is based on the Shakespearean classic, Twelfth Night? More than 400 years ago, the old Bard of Avon had the nerve to plot a play about a love triangle involving a woman dressing like a man to be near and hopefully entice the local stud and another woman falling in love with him/her. Of course, back in those days, all actors were men, and cross dressing on stage was a prejudicious against real women and rather confusing. If this was a strategic teaching method to put classic literature into the hearts and minds of students, I applaud those innovative educators.

Since its opening in 2004, All Shook Up has made the theatrical rounds of Broadway, off-Broadway, on tour, and becoming a staple of community, college, and high school theatrical productions. It has all the right stuff to keep audiences happily entertained, while delivering a few doses of open mindedness. The story opens on a strong musical note with Jailhouse Rock, with the lead male character Chad, played by high school junior Noah Deal, getting out of the slammer and doing what he — the “roustabout” — does best: moving on. He finds himself in some Smalltown, USA, in a no-dancing bar, looking for a mechanic to fix his motorcycle that is making a funny sound… the sound of his tight-panted leg extending and gyrating his pelvis.It just so happens the town’s best (only) mechanic is a young woman, Natalie, played by senior Mary Thalassinos, who yearns for more than what life has so far given her — other than a widowed and pining father, Jim, played by Noah Goodwin, and geeky secret admirer, Dennis, played by Ethan Durham. Although Natalie immediately has eyes for for Chad, he has spied the town’s high-browed and sultry museum curator, Miss Sandra, played by Faith Pruett.To complicate matters, much of the action takes place in Sylvia’s Honky-Tonk, where you can drink but not dance. Sylvia, played by India Foster, is all business and cuts right to the chase, especially when her rebellious daughter, Lorraine, played by Harlem Farr, begins to show romantic interest in the mayor’s son. Sylvia is black; Lorraine is black and fatherless; the mayor, Matilida, played by Lydia Irvin, is white and overbearing; and her son, Dean, played by Max Lefebvre, is home from military school, fatherless, and white (but not really). Like many Shakespearean plays, it’s complicated, but thanks to the fine directing of Assistant Superintendent Terry Pruitt, Ph.D., keeping track of who’s who was pretty easy.

As the many love interests overlap, the subplots thicken, the central themes are held together by a menu of songs suited to the messages: Heartbreak Hotel, One Night, Teddy Bear, Hound Dog, Love Me Tender, Blue Suede Shoes, Don’t Be Cruel, All Shook Up, Devil in Disguise, and Burning Love. Accompanying the singing and dancing cast was a mostly students orchestra led John Moody, Ph.D. Choreography was by teachers Caroline Pruitt and Susan Woodham.As high school plays go, this one was by far better than most, thanks to Dr. Pruitt’s determination to every year produce a worthy and multifaceted play, and a good pool of local talent. The standout performances were by Foster/Sylvia and her to-die-for voice, and Thalassinos/Natalie, who is basically the whole package of acting, stage presence, singing, and dancing. Thalassinos, who has performed on local stages for the past several years , including the lead in Mary Poppins last year, plans to attend Wofford College next year. As a junior, Foster has another year of school and hopefully another singing role to play.After Much Ado, disguises are thrown aside, love is proclaimed, family secrets are revealed, and everyone comes to realize that Fools Fall in Love (crossing racial lines). All’s Well Thats Ends Well in All Shook Up. If only that could be said for real life racial relations, when a gunman kills churchgoers in Charleston, SC, and policemen shoot runners in the back. As adults, we might all take lessons from those we are charged to teach. They might sing and dance and put on a good show, but at the heart of the matter, they are preparing for a better tomorrow.#

About This Blog

By Steve Wong

At a time when enforced political correctness and hypersensitivity to even the most mundane facts of life hang over our heads like Swords of Damocles, it is triumph of public education, creativity, and common sense that Spartanburg School District 7 has once again produced a high school play that was both entertaining and teaching our young people there is more to life than song and dance. I commend the movers and shakers of District 7 on allowing Spartanburg School High to have presented All Shook Up this past weekend at Chapman Cultural Center. My only complaint is that the house was not full for every performance.It was a great production, showcasing the artistic of talents of students from kindergarten to high school in a musical play that not only touched on, but at times hammered home the issues of interracial dating, civil disobedience, premarital sex, cross-dressing, and even homosexuality — all issues that students must deal with a daily basis.Who would have ever thought a play that glorifies the music of the hip-shaking Elvis Presley is based on the Shakespearean classic, Twelfth Night? More than 400 years ago, the old Bard of Avon had the nerve to plot a play about a love triangle involving a woman dressing like a man to be near and hopefully entice the local stud and another woman falling in love with him/her. Of course, back in those days, all actors were men, and cross dressing on stage was a prejudicious against real women and rather confusing. If this was a strategic teaching method to put classic literature into the hearts and minds of students, I applaud those innovative educators.

Since its opening in 2004, All Shook Up has made the theatrical rounds of Broadway, off-Broadway, on tour, and becoming a staple of community, college, and high school theatrical productions. It has all the right stuff to keep audiences happily entertained, while delivering a few doses of open mindedness. The story opens on a strong musical note with Jailhouse Rock, with the lead male character Chad, played by high school junior Noah Deal, getting out of the slammer and doing what he — the “roustabout” — does best: moving on. He finds himself in some Smalltown, USA, in a no-dancing bar, looking for a mechanic to fix his motorcycle that is making a funny sound… the sound of his tight-panted leg extending and gyrating his pelvis.It just so happens the town’s best (only) mechanic is a young woman, Natalie, played by senior Mary Thalassinos, who yearns for more than what life has so far given her — other than a widowed and pining father, Jim, played by Noah Goodwin, and geeky secret admirer, Dennis, played by Ethan Durham. Although Natalie immediately has eyes for for Chad, he has spied the town’s high-browed and sultry museum curator, Miss Sandra, played by Faith Pruett.To complicate matters, much of the action takes place in Sylvia’s Honky-Tonk, where you can drink but not dance. Sylvia, played by India Foster, is all business and cuts right to the chase, especially when her rebellious daughter, Lorraine, played by Harlem Farr, begins to show romantic interest in the mayor’s son. Sylvia is black; Lorraine is black and fatherless; the mayor, Matilida, played by Lydia Irvin, is white and overbearing; and her son, Dean, played by Max Lefebvre, is home from military school, fatherless, and white (but not really). Like many Shakespearean plays, it’s complicated, but thanks to the fine directing of Assistant Superintendent Terry Pruitt, Ph.D., keeping track of who’s who was pretty easy.

As the many love interests overlap, the subplots thicken, the central themes are held together by a menu of songs suited to the messages: Heartbreak Hotel, One Night, Teddy Bear, Hound Dog, Love Me Tender, Blue Suede Shoes, Don’t Be Cruel, All Shook Up, Devil in Disguise, and Burning Love. Accompanying the singing and dancing cast was a mostly students orchestra led John Moody, Ph.D. Choreography was by teachers Caroline Pruitt and Susan Woodham.As high school plays go, this one was by far better than most, thanks to Dr. Pruitt’s determination to every year produce a worthy and multifaceted play, and a good pool of local talent. The standout performances were by Foster/Sylvia and her to-die-for voice, and Thalassinos/Natalie, who is basically the whole package of acting, stage presence, singing, and dancing. Thalassinos, who has performed on local stages for the past several years , including the lead in Mary Poppins last year, plans to attend Wofford College next year. As a junior, Foster has another year of school and hopefully another singing role to play.After Much Ado, disguises are thrown aside, love is proclaimed, family secrets are revealed, and everyone comes to realize that Fools Fall in Love (crossing racial lines). All’s Well Thats Ends Well in All Shook Up. If only that could be said for real life racial relations, when a gunman kills churchgoers in Charleston, SC, and policemen shoot runners in the back. As adults, we might all take lessons from those we are charged to teach. They might sing and dance and put on a good show, but at the heart of the matter, they are preparing for a better tomorrow.#